By Marta Gomez, Cowgirl senior forward

LARAMIE, Wyo. (March 4, 2019) – There are two conference games remaining in the Cowgirls' season and six seniors who will play their last game in front of the Wyoming fans on March 4^th in the Arena-Auditorium. Each game day leading up to Thursday, one of the seniors will share her favorite memories, both on and off the court, from her career at the University of Wyoming. Today is Bailee Cotton, the 5-year senior from Denver, Colo.
 
When Bailee finished high school, she only had two offers from Division I programs. Wyoming was one of them, and she really felt like she could fit into the system and play for coach Joe Legrski. The sense of community, the fan support, the team vibe, and of course, the opportunity to study the major that she wanted, helped Bailee to make the decision and commit to the University of Wyoming.
 
Bailee is the only senior from the 2019 class who has spent five years in the program. She has gained experience and confidence on the court over this time, helping her become one of the greatest players to ever wear a Wyoming jersey. She is currently 16^th all-time in free throws made with 249, 15^th in rebounds with 665, 17^th in blocks with 51, 17^th in double-doubles with 11; and only seven steals shy from entering the top 22 list. Also, she was named to the Mountain West All-Defensive team her junior year and has started all but one game she has played during her career.
 
Far from letting her success take get to her head, she has her feet on the ground, and she knows that everything comes with hard work. Bailee has torn her ACL a couple of times and she has always come back stronger. She is a hard-working player, who takes responsibility and does everything for the team.
 
"My greatest strength is my defense and energy on the court," Bailee explains. "I see myself as someone who is always ready to work and do the gritty things that you have to be tough to do."
 
Her hard work has paid off and she has made some really good memories at Wyoming. Getting her 600^th career rebound is something that she is really proud of. But not everything has been happy endings for her and her teammates. She has a tie for her worst basketball memory, tearing her ACL and losing to Boise State on the last game of the season last year have become the dark spots from these years.
 
But overall, the good experiences and happy memories reign over the bad ones, and she has had a great time being a Cowgirl. The only thing she would change about her career is not shooting a three-pointer earlier, because she really put the work into it over the summers.
 
As a Cowgirl, she has learned to be a leader and a role model to the younger girls that go the games. For her, this means living up to the standards and for the people who care about you, but also being proud to put on the Wyoming jersey and perform to the best of your ability.
 
For the younger players and future recruits, she has a message: "Do not judge a book by its cover," she starts. "Yes, Laramie is in the middle of nowhere, it is cold and windy, but the experience and education you get here are awesome and you will not get that at many other schools."